Maintenance of Certification Part IV Program

What is Maintenance of Certification?

American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) MOC is based on the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education six core competencies for quality patient care: medical knowledge, patient care and procedural skills, interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, practice-based learning and improvement, and systems-based practice.

The 24 ABMS specialty boards adopted four MOC components to serve as a framework for physicians to demonstrate their ongoing professional development and compliance with these competencies.

  • Part I - Licensure and professional standing

    Must hold a valid, unrestricted medical license in at least one state or jurisdiction in the United States, its territories, or Canada

  • Part II - Lifelong learning and self-assessment

    Participate in educational and self-assessment programs that meet specialty-specific standards that are set by their member boards

  • Part III - Cognitive expertise

    Demonstrate practice-related and practice environment–related knowledge to provide quality care (re-certification exam)

  • Part IV - Assessment of practice performance

    Demonstrate use of best evidence and practices compared to peers and national benchmarks

Specific requirements, options for meeting them and timeframes vary per specialty board.